POTENTIAL AND PERSPECTIVES FOR APPLICATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (EMS) AND ISO 14000 TO FOOD INDUSTRIES

ISO 14000 is considered a newcomer in the environmental management systems, but it is gradually gaining worldwide acceptance (10,000 certificates by June 1999). Although the food industry was not one of the first industrial sectors to implement EMS/ISO 14000, recent surveys in industrialized countries show that more than 1000 food companies worldwide have already applied the ISO 14001. The popular belief is that the legislative frame for environmental pollution will gradually become stricter ultimately resulting in a mandatory ISO 14001 system. ISO 14001 will most likely merge with ISO 9000 to form a new series of standards.